Yellen, in a speech at a conference of policymakers and top
academics, laid out the deepening concern at the Fed that U.S.
economic potential is slipping - and may need aggressive steps
to rebuild it.

Traders have currently priced in a 67-percent chance of a
rate hike in December, while the odds for November are minimal
as the Fed's meeting falls just days before the Nov. 8 U.S.
presidential election.

"Is Chair Yellen now adding yet another reason for holding
off raising rates in December? We'll have to watch the data as
(we) move towards the mid-December FOMC meeting and more
carefully monitor ... Yellen's guidance," said Quincy Krosby,
market strategist at Prudential Financial.

Gains in bank shares helped to support the market, with the
S&P 500 financial index up 0.8 percent, though shares of
JPMorgan, Citigroup and Wells Fargo were
mostly flat following their results.
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